Systems and methods for location management and emergency support for a voice over internet protocol device

• US 8,620,257 B2
• Filed: 02/20/2007
• Issued: 12/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Qiu, Chaoxin Charles, Khan, Richard L., Dailey, Robert F.
• Primary Examiner(s): AJIBADE AKONAI, OLUMIDE
• Application Number:
  US11/676,877
• Publication Number:
  US 20080200143A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,506 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.2, 455/404.1, 455/456.1, 455/456.3, 379/88.17, 379/88.25, 379/207.12, 379/45, 370/351, 370/352, 370/353, 370/356
• US Class Current: 455/404.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2535 adapted for voice communication over an Internet Protocol [IP] network Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network equipment and services H04M7/006; implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/04 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/30 Determination of the location of a subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42178 by downloading data to substation equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5116 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections

Abstract

Example systems and methods to manage location information for emergency services support of an internet protocol (“IP”) communication device are disclosed. A disclosed example method involves storing first and second geographic location information in a first list of geographic location information associated with an internet protocol device. The first list is stored at a service provider server. At least a partial copy of the first list is communicated from the service provider server to the internet protocol device for storing as a second list of geographic location information in the internet protocol device.

Claims

1. A method to update geographic location information comprising:

storing first and second geographic location information in a first list of geographic location information associated with an internet protocol device to enable provisioning of location-based emergency services to the internet protocol device, the first list being stored at a service provider server, wherein the first geographic location information includes a first street address and the second geographic location information includes a second street address; and

in response to the internet protocol device connecting to a network, communicating at least a partial copy of the first list from the service provider server to the internet protocol device for storing as a second list of geographic location information in the internet protocol device, the second list of geographic location information storing entries indicative of a plurality of different geographic locations associated with the internet protocol device.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first and second geographic location information are respectively associated with first and second geographic locations in which the internet protocol device is operative.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising receiving the first geographic location information via at least one of a web-based interface or a customer agent interface.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising verifying that the first geographic location information is valid based on a master street address guide database.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising receiving a message from the internet protocol device associated with verifying that the second list of geographic location information includes the same geographic location information as the first list of geographic location information.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising receiving data from the internet protocol device indicative of a user selection of the first geographic location information or the second geographic location information.

7. A method as defined in claim 6, further comprising identifying the selected one of the first geographic location information or the second geographic location information as a current geographic location of the internet protocol device.

8. A method as defined in claim 7, further comprising registering the internet protocol device with the network to enable the internet protocol device to access network services via the network after identifying the current geographic location of the internet protocol device.

9. A method as defined in claim 6, wherein the data is received via a session initiation protocol registration header during a registration process.

10. An apparatus to update geographic location information associated with providing emergency services, the apparatus comprising:

a memory configured to store first and second geographic location information in a first list of geographic location information associated with an internet protocol device to enable provisioning of location-based emergency services to the internet protocol device, the memory being located at a service provider server, wherein the first geographic location information includes a first street address and the second geographic location information includes a second street address; and

a device configuration interface configured to, in response to a geographic address update in the memory, communicate at least a partial copy of the first list from the service provider server to the internet protocol device for storing as a second list of geographic location information in the internet protocol device, the second list of geographic location information storing a plurality of entries indicative of a plurality of different geographic locations.

11. An apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the first and second geographic location information are respectively associated with first and second geographic locations in which the internet protocol device is operative.

12. An apparatus as defined in claim 10, further comprising at least one of a subscriber access interface or a service provider access interface configured to receive the first geographic location information for storing in the memory.

13. An apparatus as defined in claim 10, further comprising a validator configured to verify that the first geographic location information is valid based on a master street address guide database.

14. An apparatus as defined in claim 10, further comprising a current address update interface configured to communicate a geographic address specified as a current address associated with the internet protocol device from the memory to a location information server database for use in connection with E911 emergency services.

15. An apparatus as defined in claim 10, further comprising at least one of a subscriber access interface, a service provider access interface, or a device registrar interface configured to receive data indicative of a user selection of the first geographic location information or the second geographic location information as a current geographic address indicative of a location in which the internet protocol device is located.

16. A machine accessible storage device comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to perform a method comprising:

storing first and second geographic location information in a first list of geographic location information associated with an internet protocol device to enable provisioning of location-based emergency services to the internet protocol device, the first list being stored at a service provider server, wherein the first geographic location information includes a first street address and the second geographic location information includes a second street address; and

communicating at least a partial copy of the first list from the service provider server to the internet protocol device for storing as a second list of geographic location information in the internet protocol device, the second list of geographic location information storing a plurality of entries indicative of a plurality of different geographic locations.

17. A machine accessible medium as defined in claim 16, wherein the method further comprises receiving a message from the internet protocol device associated with verifying that the second list of geographic location information includes the same geographic location information as the first list of geographic location information.

18. A machine accessible medium as defined in claim 16, wherein the method further comprises receiving data from the internet protocol device indicative of a user selection of the first geographic location information or the second geographic location information.

19. A machine accessible medium as defined in claim 17, wherein the method further comprises identifying the selected one of the first geographic location information or the second geographic location information as a current geographic location of the internet protocol device.

20. A machine accessible medium as defined in claim 19, wherein the method further comprises registering the internet protocol device with a network to enable the internet protocol device to access network services via the network after identifying the current geographic location of the internet protocol device.